Shenae Grimes Says Drake is "Not the Aubrey I Knew," and Four Other Things We Learned from the 90210 Star

Shenae Grimes is not one to pull her punches. Acting in her second revamped youth series – she played Darcy on Degrassi: The Next Generation for four years and currently stars in 90210, which ends its season Tuesday on The CW -- the 22-year-old Toronto native already speaks with the jaded tone of an actor struggling to find her place in a world which frowns on creative individuality. Whether she's discussing Young Hollywood, her morally questionable 90210 character, her network bosses or her former Degrassi castmates, Grimes speaks with refreshing candor and unabashed frustration, which sometimes seem at odds with her perky tone and slight frame.

In Toronto during a recent press stop to promote 90210, which is available on Netflix in Canada, Grimes sat down with Dose.ca to set the record straight about her career, ambitions and the tumultuous relationship she has with Hollywood.

She doesn't speak to any of her former Degrassi castmates

Grimes was the first Degrassi alum to find success south of the border. In 2009, she left the show and Canada to pursue a starring role in The CW's Beverly Hills, 90210 revamp and, in the process, opened the door for many of her former castmates (including a young actor by the name of Aubrey Drake Graham) to take a stab at success in the U.S.

"I did it first so I don't think of it as a weird thing; I think of it as the natural progression of things," Grimes says of the success of other Degrassi castmembers, like The L.A. Complex's Cassie Steele and The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev. "Great for them, awesome [but] I don't really speak to any of them. I know that they're all doing their own things and it's really great and I'm very proud. I listen to Drake and Lil’ Wayne all the time but that's not the Aubrey I knew; I don't know that guy."

Young Hollywood is not her "bag"

When Grimes first came to Los Angeles to begin work on 90210, she was suddenly thrust into all the "right" parties, a world the Canadian never really felt comfortable in.

"I struggled making friends in L.A. for a long time because I was put into this bizarre bubble," she recalls. "I was just part of Young Hollywood and [I was told] 'this is your circle.' I'm just standing around at parties with these people that I've read about and watched on TV or in movies for years and I wasn't able to relate to them at all because I don't come from that kind of world. I don't come from that celebrity bubble. I came from a normal place."

Looking back on that time in her life, Grimes says that scene was "not attractive to me at all. You see right through it. Once you see it in person, face to face it's really not as glamorous as it looks. It's really not my bag."

She has friends who ended up as prostitutes

This season, Grimes' character Annie became a prostitute. Through she says she didn't do any "hands on" research for the part, the 22-year-old claims she "knows people" that have had similar experiences. "[Annie's] product of choice was selling her body," she says. "I do know people that that kind of thing has happened to and normally it starts from just hanging out with people who just want a companion and this and that for the night."

She doesn't have any input on her 90210 character

Though she's been a star on 90210 for three seasons, Grimes claims she has no say in anything her character does. "It's my voice and my face but I'm playing somebody else; I have no control," she says. "It's corporate America, man. There are many people above me that have a say in everything – even the writers and the directors don't have total control."

She's ready to move on

"I've done what other people say for about a decade now and I definitely would love to have more creative control because you don't have any," Grimes says when asked about her future plans. "I would love to do films -- ones that gets seen. I would love to have a starring role. If I could get away from remakes right now, I'd be really happy."

Watch our interview with Grimes below:

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Shenae Grimes Says Drake is "Not the Aubrey I Knew," and Four Other Things We Learned from the 90210 Star

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.